Mold for sampling molten iron



Oct. 22, 1968 R. w. JETT ETAL MOLD FOR SAMPLING MOLTEN IRON Filed April4, 1966 F/G. Z

////U/ /UU /z/ ROBERT W JE 77' JAMES Mc/VE IS STEVEN SOWA INVENTORSUnited States Patent O 3,406,736 MOLD FOR SAMPLING MOLTEN IRON Robert W.Jett, Sonthgate, James I. McNelis, Trenton,

and Steven Sowa, Lincoln Park, Mlich., assignors to Ford Motor Company,Dearborn, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 4, 1966, Ser. No.539,999 4 Clairns. (Cl. 164-4) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A samplingdevice for removing an analytical sample from a fiow stream of moltenmetal such as gray or pig iron. This sampling device is fabricated froma highly conductive, high melting point metal.

This invention relates to the ferrous metal production field and is morespecifically concerned with a process and apparatus for more elfectivelycorrelating the operations of a conventional blast furnace and a basicOxygen furnace for the production of steel from the iron produced by theblast furnace. This invention is more particularly concerned with aprocess of accurately and quickly sampling the blast furnace iron as itis tapped from the blast furnace and with an apparatus for executingthis sampling method.

The usual basic Oxygen charge is approximately seventy percent moltenblast furnace iron and is charged as received from the blast furnace. Anessentially immediate knowledge of the chemistry of this lmolten iron isnecessary to the intelligent and most effective operation of the basicOxygen furnace into which this iron is charged. The process andapparatus taught by this invention enables a sarnple of this iron to betaken quickly, economically and without contamination.

This invention is explained in connection with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the essentials of thesampling apparatus with a similar showing of a finished sample, and

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the actual sampling operation showingpictorially the preferred Way of obtaining a sample from a stream ofmolten iron as it fiows from the blast furnace.

FIGURE 1 clearly shows the mold employed for casting the sample. Theparticular device illustrated has been machined from a copper rod fourinches (10.2 cm.) long and two and one eighth inches (5.4 cm.) indiameter. Copper has been chosen for its combination of very highconductivity and reasonably high melting point. The invention is notlimited to the use of copper but may obviously by carried out in a moldof silver, or any other metal of similar thermal characteristics.

The mold employed in this invention may well take the form of a cylindersplit upon a longitudinal axis, with the halves so produced providedwith keying recesses and tapered dowel pins to assure proper assembly. Acircular passage one half inch (1.3 cm.) in diameter and one and onequarter inches (3.18 cm.) deep is drilled axially from each end of themold assembly. That portion of the mold 3,406,736 Patented Oct. 22, 1968ICC between the ends of these passages is machined to produe a samplecavity which will produce a sample one and one quarter inches (3.18 cm.)in diameter and about three sixteenths (0.48 cm.) of an inch thick. Thissample 5 cavity is connected at each end to the circular passages.

The actual sampling operation is seen in FIGURE 2.

The mold described supra is secured in refractory coated tongs (notshown) and placed in the fiowing stream of iron with the upstream moldpassage immersed in the molten iron and the downstream passage held outof the iron stream. The high thermal conductivity of the copper moldprotects it from attack by the molten iron for a period of timesufficient to permit a sample to be secured. The particular mold formshown provides, if necessary, for an initial brief fiow of iron throughthe mold if a rapid iron stream is conducted through the mold and alsofor the freezing of a sample promptly in the sample cavity when the fiowis retarded. The rate of fiow is regulated by the inclination of themold.

The finished sample is promptly obtained by separating the two halves ofthe mold and removing the cast sample. The sample in the sample cavityis available for chemical analysis With only minor surface preparation.

This invention is clearly applicable to the sampling of metals frommolten streams other than cast iron. Molten finished steel is an obviousexample.

We clairn as our invention:

1. The process of obtaining a clean and representative analytieal samplefrom a stream of molten metal comprising supporting a highly conductivemetallic mold in the stream of molten metal, said mold having a pair ofpassages each of which start at an end of the mold and terminate in anintermediate sample cavity which sample cavity has one dimension muchless than the smallest dimension of the passages, fiowing the moltenmetal through one of the passages into the sample cavity and freezingthe sample in the cavity to provide the solid sample.

' 2. The process recited in claim 1 in which the sample is taken withthe axis of the passages arranged so that the outer termination of theupstream passage is immersed in molten metal and the outer terminationof the downstream passage is at least partially above the adjacentfiowing metal.

3. The process recited in claim 1 in which the arrangement of the moldin the stream is such that the first metal entering the mold fiows pastthe sample cavity without solidifying therein.

4. The process recited in claim 1 in which the small dimension of thesample cavity is approximately Vertical. 50

References Cited J. SPENCER OVERI-IOLSER, Primary Examiner. E. MAR,Assistant Examner.

